


Athens 20XX

by adamant-frootloop (adamantcroutons), croutons-in-the-rain (adamantcroutons)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, Olympics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-10
Packaged: 2018-01-11 19:11:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1176823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adamantcroutons/pseuds/adamant-frootloop, https://archiveofourown.org/users/adamantcroutons/pseuds/croutons-in-the-rain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the first year that Alternia is represented in the Olympic Games.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wave the Flag

**Author's Note:**

> (This chapter is still a work in progress)

_Afghanistan._

Karkat swallowed as he gripped the flagpole with sweaty hands. The bright gold and purple banner waved in the breeze.

 _Albania_.

The cheering crowd nearly slapped him off his feet. The announcer had named two countries he had never heard of in languages he didn't understand. He was told to count to three.

 _Algeria_.

Sollux gave Karkat a reassuring pat on the shoulder and whispered "Ready?" Karkat turned to see Sollux in his Derse outfit and looked down at his own golden uniform.

 _Alternia_.

"Guess I am now," Karkat muttered.

Putting on his best smile, he waved the Alternian flag high and proud, the crowd cheering their loudest. Feferi chanted "Al-ter-ni-a! Al-ter-ni-a!" happily from a few feet behind him. Eridan, in a purple suit and his signature cape, waved at the flashing cameras and straightened his glasses. Aradia and Vriska stayed on opposite sides of the mob of trolls.  
Gamzee didn't seem to understand much, but as a fantastic cyclist, he certainly belonged here. He waved his miniature Alternian flags with a giant, sincere smile. Next to him, Equius flexed his muscles and stayed close to Nepeta, who was overwhelmed with just about everything. "Equius! Look at it all!" she cried. "Yes, this is all quite exciting..." Equius's voice trailed off.

Karkat walked the team around the track until they reached their spot on the floor. One Algerian Olympian turned to them and grinned. Karkat returned the gesture and Sollux waved, his red and blue goggles reflecting spotlights.

The Opening Ceremony began, telling the history of Greece and its myths and culture. While some trolls looked excited, like Aradia and Tavros, Karkat was generally bored, until the part where the zodiac was featured. It kind of felt like he was recognized, welcomed. Gamzee looked down at himself and back up at Capricorn with wide eyes and mouthed a soft "dude, that's me" to Karkat.

* * *

 

After the Opening Ceremony began, the torch was lit and the games had officially begun. The first events would begin the next morning: artistic gymnastics and the running and relays. The Alternian team, among millions of foreigners and spectators, exited the stadium and went back to their hotels.

Flopping down on his bed, Karkat breathed a sigh of anxiety. _I don't even know what to think what am I doing why am I here_ , his mind ran on and on. In the beds next to his, Tavros pulled the covers over his head and shivered and Sollux stared at the ceiling. "Hey, Nitram, you okay?" Sollux whispered. "I have to run tomorrow... I have to run... In front of everybody... I'm gonna fall..." squeaked the bronze blood. Karkat decided to let the two talk it out (or rather, ignored them) and shoved his head under the pillows and fell asleep.


	2. Gold for Iron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat is a gymnast, because there was nowhere else for him to go.

His hands were shaking as he approached the floor. The powder on his hands flaked off in small trails of snowy white when they moved, sometimes sticking to his skintight purple and gold uniform. Pulling himself together, Karkat heard the announcer say his name and where he was from, and his crimson eyes flipped to the audience. Trolls and humans alike were flashing cameras, chanting, and waving flags for him, Karkat Vantas, the last competitor, nineteen human years old and his mind going in nineteen thousand spirographs.

He was given the signal, and off he went.

Placing his hands firmly on the ground, Karkat lifted himself upside down into the air and held the pose, one leg bent and tucked and the other straight and pointed. He leaned backwards into a kickover and moved to the other side. He performed a few jumps before preparing for a one-handed cartwheel, which he landed and followed with a back handspring. On his second round of flips, Karkat started to lose his balance. His arms wobbled, but he managed to strengthen himself in time for the landing. A few more flourishes here, some displays of agility there, and he was ready for the final round. He did a cartwheel and straightened into three back handsprings and finished with a well-landed complete backflip.

Karkat left the floor immediately after he was finished holding his final pose. He threw himself on the bench and cursed into his training jacket until the crowd got louder. He whipped his head up and saw cameramen moving towards him.

"Mr. Vantas, how do you feel about your first Olympic victory?"

"Hold up...what now? What's going on—"

"Your gold medal." Karkat's eyes widened.

"You're...you're _joking_." The cameraman laughed. "No, I'm not joking." He gestured to a large screen on the wall of the gymnastics building.

**1st - ALT - VANTAS Karkat - 15.800**


End file.
